Abstract
The Russian writer Dostoevsky (1821-1881) suffered from a rare form of temporal lobe epilepsy termed "ec-static epilepsy." Dostoevsky used his epileptic experiences to create Prince Myshkin, the protagonist of The Idiot. The recent case of a patient who experienced ecstatic epilepsy as a result of a temporal lobe brain tumor is presented and compared with that of Prince Myshkin. Reading Dostoevsky can give the contemporary physician an insight into the inner life of an epileptic patient - an example of how art can directly benefit medical practice.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 413-416 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Surgical neurology |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1990 |
Keywords
- Dostoevsky
- Ecstatic epilepsy
- Epilepsy
- Temporal lobe epilepsy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Clinical Neurology